Russell & Gail Cleary

The Cleary family has lived in La Crosse for more than five generations. Russ and Gail were both raised with the strong family values of sharing with the community and supporting educational and charitable organizations in the Coulee Region.

Russell attended UWL from 1951-54 (pre-law) and earned the Graff Distinguished Alumni Award in 1980. He built La Crosse’s Heileman Brewing Company into one of the largest breweries in the country. In addition to numerous other awards, he was named Executive of the Year by “Corporate Report Magazine” in 1980. Gail graduated magna cum laude in 1955 with a bachelor’s in education. Russell passed away in 1997. Gail served on the UWL Alumni Association Board of Directors. Gail currently serves as President of Cleary Management and International Furniture.

The Cleary family has continued their generous support of many programs and projects including two endowed scholarships: The Russell G. & Gail K. Cleary Scholarship (supports a business major) and the Russell G. Cleary Memorial Scholarship (supports a business, microbiology, chemistry, or any major related to the brewing industry).